Promise
by Shine Like Rae
Summary: Ichigo made Orihime promise that she would come back for him one day. 6 years have passed since that day and the two are finally reunited, attending the same high school. How will Ichigo react to half the male population trying to get with this childhood friend, how will he react to his growing feeling for her, and where does Grimmjow fit into all of this?
1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining down brightly and the spring wind brought along a nice fragrance. The weather was cool and bearable, but didn't seem to suit the situation...

"Onii-san said we'll be back soon." Her small voice was about to crack and you could tell the little one was trying her best to hold back heavy tears, concealing her emotions with a quivery smile. "Moving to Okinawa will be best for us." She said those words, but they didn't feel right. Leaving her best friend didn't feel right.

The boy hid behind his orange bangs, fists balled at his sides. Even thought his father was a goofy fellow he never saw him cry, he figured 'real men don't cry' and tried to live by that motto, but as of that moment, he could feel the tears slide down his face disobediently

"I-Ichi-kun?" The tiny girl mumbled out, wondering why her friend was silent.

His fist tightened even harder and suddenly shot his head up strongly. His eyes where clamped shut, tears streaming but wore a toothy smile. "You said you'll come back." He opened his eyes to look at her. "Promise you'll come back, Orihime!" He nearly shouted.

Orihime was taken aback by his outburst and for a moment she stood still. She had never seen Ichigo cry before, she was always the one caught crying... Her tears fell heavily and she could feel a familiar burn in her throat. "I-Ichi-kuuun." She dragged out his name in a wail, rubbing the tears from her gray eyes. She never knew her heart could feel so much pain, even after the way her parents abused her, this was by far the worst feeling she had ever endured.

Once Orihime started to cry his tears stopped. When he herd her in such a state he felt as if it were his job to make her feel better... This would be the last time he got to console her.

"Orihime..."

She looked at him through blurry vision, and before she could respond he had already wrapped his arms around her. Her large eyes widened and her gloomy emotions where bombarded with something new.

"I'm making you promise." He whispered

Her small body froze as his words fell directly into her ear.

"Promise me you'll come back." He held onto her even tighter, as the reality of his beloved best friend leaving washed over him. He never thought a day like this would come.

Sora said they would come back, but what if he only said that to make the move easier for her? What if they couldn't afford to come back? They were leaving town for a reason, to get away from _them. _What would be Sora's reason to come back to a town filled with dark memories. How could she promise something she had no control over?

"Promise!" He shouted.

She was silent for a moment, as the times they shared together flashed through her mind. He was her first friend, her first love, her everything. How could she not come back for him?

Her arms slowly moved around him and tiny hands gripped onto the back of his shirt. "I promise." She whimpered. "I promise I'll come back."

_**Six years later.**_

The annoying ringing of a digital alarm clock rang through out the room caused a long muscular arm to rise from under the covers and slam on top of it, forcing the loud ringing to a stop, followed by a deep lazy groan from under the sheets.

"GOOOOD MORNNNING ICHIGOOO!" A tall man with short stubbly hair grown around his chin in a doctor's coat busted into the room rowdily. Once he saw that his son was still in bed, he prepared himself to launch into the air and plant his foot deeply into his son's face.

Knowing what was coming, Ichigo instincts kicked in, forcing him to spring out of bed and kick his foot right into his father's gut, sending him flying backwards. "Can I at least have one morning where you don't kick down my door!" He shouted.

The father slowly and feebly stood to his feet. His left hand resting over the area Ichigo kicked him and his right held a awkward thumbs up. "You are getting better my son." He spoke in a pained voice. "Your training will soon be complete."

Ichigo gave his father a confused glare. "Training? What training?" It was the same thing his father spouted on about every morning after he nearly killed him with his surprise attacks, but as always his father would never give him a real answer, so why would he today? "Tch, what ever." Ichigo walked past his now weak father nonchalantly, making his way into the bathroom.

After completing his morning routines Ichigo was fully dressed in his uniform, hair somewhat brushed and his bag thrown over his back, now ready for school.

As the orange-haired boy made his way down the stairs, the smell of a just cooked breakfast flew into his nostrils. Eggs, bacon and pancakes, to bad he didn't have time to eat any of it.

He walked into the kitchen and saw what he always saw every morning, Yuzu and Karin at the table eating and his beautiful mother standing over the stove cooking even more food.

Her head turned to the sound of someone walking into the room. "Ichigo you're up." She smiled over to her son lovingly. "I cooked more than enough food, sit down and eat."

Ichigo slowly shook his head with soft eyes and a warm smile. "I can't mom, sorry." He noticed how her long wavy hair was up in a sloppy bun, her eyes a bit puffy, evidence that she had just woken up, and she wore a plane T-shirt with a pair of pajama pants. He wondered, at her age how could she still manage to look like a young adult? "Just toast will be fine."

The mother gave her tall son a look, a look that said _you-know-you-need-a-proper-breakfast, _but she didn't saw anything. She just placed a buttered toast on a plate for him and smiled. "I'll fix you a nice dinner tonight." She figured that would make up for him missing breakfast. "Actually, I just remembered something." She placed her finger on her plump lip in thought.

Ichigo mentally laughed at how his mother would always forget things. "What did you _just remember_ mom?" He asked with a snicker.

"We're having special guests over for dinner tonight." She said warmly.

Yuzu and Karin turned from their seats, now interested in the conversation. "Who?" They asked

"You two where so young," She walked over to her daughter's and placed her hands on both their heads . "you might not remember them, but they are very special to this family."

Ichigo looked over at the clock that hung over the stove. "I have to go." He picked up his toast and placed a kiss on his mother's forehead as he rushed his way pasted her. "See you guys later." He mumbled through the toast he had hanging from his mouth, making his way out the door.

"I guess Onii-chan wont know who our special guest for dinner will be." Yuzu said looking up at her mother.

The beautiful mother giggled with a girly smile. "I have a feeling your brother will find out pretty soon."

. . .

. . .

Ichigo walked into the nearly empty classroom. He didn't like coming to class early but if he didn't get there early he was most likely to be late, and he couldn't afford another tarty on his record.

He took his seat in the near back of the class and placed his bag on the side of his desk. To occupy himself until his friends came he pulled out his cell phone, giving him something to do.

While checking his e-mail for nothing in particular he couldn't help but over hear a conversation from a group of male student in the front of the class room.

"I"m tellin' ya man, this girl was beyond beautiful. Like something I would see in my dreams." The one male student said, over dramatic.

"Dude, what she look like?" One asked.

"She had long auburn hair, the hugest rack, her waist was super thin and her hips where just amazing! She had long creamy legs... oh and she had these eyes...," The boy looked as if he where wondering into a dream. "The most beautiful set of eyes I've ever seen!"

"Yeah?" Another male student leaned in. "What color were they?"

"They were a light gray, almost silver color." He explained

As the boy described the color of the girl's eyes it made Ichigo reminded _her_. How her gray eyes would grow large when someone placed a plate full of food in front of her, how they would soften so sweetly as she poured her heart out to her dear brother, and how they sparkled when ever shed tears.

"_I promise I'll come back." _

It had been over six years. There was no way she was coming back.

"She was standing in the main office." The student continued on. "I've never seen her before so she must be new." He explained.

"Hell yeah, I think I would remember seeing a girl described like that around!"

One trusted his fist into the air with a goofy grin and eyes the shape of beating hearts. "YES! Finally a hott chick that goes to our school!"

"I hope she's in this class!"

Ichigo was already tired of their conversation. He could tell by the way they were speaking that they where a bunch of nerds, nerds that did nothing more then play computer games and fantasize about overdeveloped anime girl or maybe even sexy elf girls from something like The Lord Of The Rings. "Kill me already." He mumbled.

"Oi Ichigo." Spoke a familiar female voice

He looked up from his cell and spotted Rukia and the rest of his friends taking their seats around him. He locked the home screen to his mobile and placed it back in his pocket. He figured he didn't need it anymore, his friend where entertainment enough, and if he where lucky he would be able to witness an argument between Renji and Rukia. It was always fun to watch the newly couple fight.

"There's talk that we have a new student," Renji started "and that she's pretty hot." The read-headed boy said with a grin and node

Rukia, not liking the fact her boyfriend was talking about another girl, shot him a death glare and spoke through her clenched teeth. "Say that again, _**Renji**_." She dared.

Renji wore a terrified expression. He didn't like to make his girlfriend mad. Getting Rukia mad was like detonating a bomb, and you better get ready for the explosion. "I-I was kidding princess..." He mustered out in a tremble. "L-love you."

Rukia rolled her blue eyes. "What ever." She snapped her head away from Renji, sending a bullet right through his poor heart.

Ichigo couldn't help but snicker, careful not to let Rukia see that he was laughing over their piety _debate_. It was exactly what he had hoped for, a quick laugh.

"Ichigo." Rukia called out.

The Kurosaki tensed up, wondering if she had herd his laughter. He slowly turned to face her, not prepared for the raft she would send his way. O-oi...?"

She was about to speak until she noticed his uneasiness, he was fine just a minute ago so what could be the matter? "Are you alright?" She asked curiously.

Ichigo felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was lucky she didn't hear him laugh. If she did all hell would have broken lose and he wasn't in the mood to go head-to-head with the Kuchiki this early in the morning. "Nothing, now what were you saying?" He said, changing the subject.

Rukia was silent for a moment, still studying his body motions. He seemed to be perfectly fine now, nothing to worry about. "Okay..." She started, now getting to the point. "Ishida is putting together a study group..." before she could even get the words out Uryuu cut into her sentence.

"As if I would let Kurosaki into my home." Uryuu said strongly as he adjusted his glasses on the roof of his nose.

Ichigo could feel a vain burst on the side of his head. "Like I would want to come to your stupid house!" He shot back.

Uryuu too felt a vain pop on the side of his head. "I have you know that my house is far from stupid, unlike yourself!"

Ichigo hand's ball into fists on their own. He then leaned over his desk into Uryuu's face. "How about we take this outside, Ishida!"

Uryuu leaned forward into Ichigo's face, accepting his challenge. "Bring it on Kurosaki!"

Rukia slapped her hand across her forehead. She should have known better then to invite Ichigo to Uryuu's house. The two never managed to get along. "I can't believe these two are cousins."

"Hmph, them being sibling would be believable." Renji added.

Chad just nodded. "Mmhm."

Tatsuki -who sat on the other side of the room- stood from her seat. "If you two don't shut the hell up you'll have to see ME outside!" She balled her fist up in the air angrily and aimed it at the two boys, who quickly became silent. "Thank you!" She then took her seat and continued on with her conversation with her red-headed friend.

Giving up on the argument, Ichigo pulled out his phone again and let his friends discuss their study group without him. Like he would want to be apart of a group with Ishida anyways.

Moments later the teacher walked in. She was going on about something Ichigo wasn't paying attention to, probably something about the projects that were due or upcoming exams, he didn't really care, he was to busy playing _Angry Birds._

"And now I have a quick announcement everyone." The teacher made her way to the front of the class. "We have a new student, all the way from Okinawa!" She shouted in excitement.

Ichigo's world froze.

"_Moving to Okinawa will be best for us."_

Those words played back in his mind, showing her round smiling face, shoulder length hair moving with the wind.

Could it be her?

There was a possibility...

_maybe... _

No. There was no way in the world that the new student could be her. She had moved on with her life. Forgotten all about him. She was to busy attending an Academy for gifted students, had a job, maybe even a boyfriend. To busy spending her life with her brother to care about him. That's what he imaged she would be doing.

"_She had these huge eyes, the most beautiful set of eyes I've ever seen! They were a light gray almost silver color." _

Maybe a small possibility but, wouldn't she call first, send an E-mail? If she still had his number, he knew his father had got the home phone changed more then once, and his old e-mail he couldn't remember the password to.

He convinced himself that there was no way it could be her.

"Class I would like you to give a warm welcome to our new student!"

The classroom door slid open. A girl with hair as long as a river walked in and stood in front of the class. She held her school bag in front of her and nervelessly looked around the room, hoping to spot _him_ before she would die of embarrassment.

Ichigo couldn't help but gawk at the girl. There was no way it was her, the girl standing in front of the class was too beautiful for him to have known. She had to be the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.

She could feel the stairs and hear the whispers. She wanted nothing more then to melt into a pool of liquid so they couldn't observe her any longer. She needed to find him through the room full of students, and that would be hard since she didn't like making eye contact with people she didn't know.

After what seemed like eternity she finally came across a head full of orange spiky hair. She felt a smile creep across her lips as the feeling of discomfort faded from her being.

Grey eyes locked with brown ones.

Ichigo could feel something grown inside of him. A reaction he only got when _she _was staring at him. It had been a very long time since he had felt that way, so way now? His eyes widened as the realization fell over him.

"I know I'm a little late on my promise..." Standing in front of a room full of people would usually make her want to faint, but she only looked at him "It's nice to see you again," She could feel her cheeks get warm and was feeling a bit flustered.

Not only had he grown up, he had grown up handsomely. She tried to piece together how he would look after a long 6 years, and in her mind he was perfect, but actually seeing the way he truly looked was way more than she had expected.

For a moment Ichigo felt as if his breathing stopped, along with the world around him. At that moment there were no stars, no sky, no ground, no ceiling, just her and him.

"Ohaiyo, Kurosaki-kun" She smiled with a tilt of her head.

"O-Orihime..."

…

…

**So yeah I don't own Bleach, but I'm guessing you guys already knew that. :P **

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

….

….

The sound of shifting chairs were heard all around the classroom as the students looked back at the Kurosaki. The females started their gossip-filled whispers and the males all shot Ichigo jealous glares, unable to imagine; how a beautiful girl like Inoue could possibly know Kurosaki. He wasn't anything special.

Though Ichigo didn't pay them any attention. loud whispers were unable to reach his ears and heavy stairs were not noticed by the orange-haired boy, his mind was already on something far more important than his classmates: Orihime.

She had grown up gorgeously, with long amber locks that fell down her back, a hourglass torso accessorized by an attractive set of hips, long nicely sculpted legs, smooth creamy skin, and a set of beautiful grey eyes, eyes he could look into for days.

Ichigo could feel his cheeks heating up upon his eyes drinking in his childhood friend's appearance. He took a second to breath. He knew he shouldn't gawk at her like that, like some old perverted man, but he couldn't help it. He imagined when Orihime would come back she would be pretty, but not like this. Seeing how much she had grown into a women after a long six years simply caught him off guard is all.

Though, Ichigo wasn't the only one surprised by Inoue's appearance...

Uryuu adjusted his glasses on the roof of his nose, making sure he was seeing correctly. "It can't be...?" He remembered she moved to Okinawa, leaving him behind, with no sign that she was even still existing, but after six long years there she was; standing in front of the classroom smiling at _Kurosaki__. _

"Orihime." Rukia silently spoke her friends name in disbelief. It took a second for the Kuchiki to process what she was seeing until a warm smile crept across her face. "She's back."

Sado nodded in agreement. "Mhm."

"So..." Renji leaned towards his girlfriend. "You know that girl?" He asked curiously.

Rukia nodded her head, her eyes still fixed on Orihime. "Un, she's a close friend of ours." She spoke with a warm expression upon her face. Memories from her childhood started to roam around in her head. She could hardly believe that her long lost best friend had finally returned. "She meant a lot to all of us, but the bond Ichigo and Orihime shared was something special." She explained.

"Oh I see." Renji nodded in agreement. "Kurosaki and this girl were lovers."

Rukia felt her palm hit her forehead as words escaped her boyfriends mouth. "No you idiot, they were too young to be lovers!" She whispered loudly. "It's hard to explain. You had to have been there." She then turned her attention to her silent friend. "Right, Sado."

The tall male only replied with a thumbs up.

"You two seem to know each other." The teacher looked at Ichigo then back at Orihime. "Inoue, why don't you take the seat in front of Kurosaki, to the left of Ishida." She pointed.

Orihime only nodded and made her way down the aisle towards her desk. Along the way she continued to hear the whispers and feel heavy glares glued to her. She didn't know why, but everywhere she went she was the topic of discussion, which causing the young teen to feel nothing but discomfort. The only thing keeping her from scurrying out the classroom was Ichigo.

Before she took her seat she saw that Ichigo wasn't the only one out of her childhood friends that were in the room. Her eyes widened with thrill once she spotted Rukia, Sado, and Uryuu. The whole gang was there. "Hi guys." She whispered a quick wave to Rukia and Sado who had sat in the back row. Once taking her seat, she looked to her left and saw Uryuu. "It's nice to see you again, Ishida-kun." She gave him a warm smile.

Uryuu pushed his glasses up the roof of his nose, his eyes hiding behind the glare of the glass. "You as well Inoue-san." He said, trying his best to cover his emotions.

"Alright class it's time to start our lesson..."

As the teacher started the class, as always, her words went through Ichigo's ear and right out the other. He was too busy trying to figure out if this was a dream or actually reality.

...

...

Lunch finally managed to come around slowly then it usually did, only because Ichigo desperately wanted the time to talk to his long lost friend. The teacher had left the room, giving Ichigo the opportunity he was practically dying for."Orihi..." But before he could get her name out a swarm of male students crowded around her desk.

_Inoue__-__san__, __I __would __like __to __get __to __know __you__._

_Will __you __have __lunch __with __me__?_

_What __do __you __do __to __get __your __hair __so __long __and __beautiful __like __that__? _

_Can __I __have __your __number__?_

_Do __you __have __a __boyfriend __Inoue__-__san__?_

Orihime could feel the familiar emptiness in her stomach as her chest started to tighten up, feeling as if her air was becoming more scarce. She absolutely hated being in situations like this, where she was the center of attention. She wondered if it were possible if she could spontaneously combust into thin air, at least then she wouldn't be the center of attention any longer.

_D o__you __think __we __can __hang __out __after __school__? _

_I__'__m __in __love __with __you__!_

_You__'__re __the __most __beautiful __girl __I __have __ever __seen__. _

_Can __I __please __have __your __number__?_

She couldn't take it any longer. A ball of anxiety building up in the pit of her stomach and her brain was running through ideas how to escape the crowd.

"Orihime!" A voice stood out amongst the noise group of males "Orihime, here!"

Her grey eyes look up and spotted Ichigo. He had managed to make his way through the crowd, holding his hand out towards her. Orihime couldn't help but stare at him for a long moment. Ever since she was a child Ichigo was always the one to save her, whether it was from a eight legged insect or a bully.

"_I__'__ll__always__protect__you__, __okay__."_

Orihime smiled as the warm memory replayed. Then, without any hesitation, she took hold of his hand, allowing him to pull her out the desk and through the crowd of boys. Within a flash they were already out the classroom room.

"Oi, Kurosaki is taking Inoue-san away!" One shouted.

"Lets get em'!" The group charged forward.

"Not so fast!" Rukia and Tatsuki stepped in front of the overly hormone group of teens. "If you want to catch up to Ichigo and Orihime..." Rukia continued.

"You have to get through us first." Tatsuki finished Rukia's sentence with a lethal glare. Her left fist was curled up into a ball, punching into her right hand, itching to get into a fight.

The group of boys took a step back without another word.

Rukia smirked. "Hmph, that's what I thought."

...

...

Without even realizing where they were going, the two managed to make it outside in the back of the school. A fresh gust of wind blew by them along with chattery voices from students eating their lunches outside.

"A-arigato..." "Kurosaki-kun." Orihime managed to say in between breaths.

Ichigo, being the physically fit and in shape person he was, didn't really need any rest. She was use to running, pretty much use to any kind of exercise. "No problem..." He looked down and noticed that they were still holding hands. He swallowed hard as a blush appeared across his face.

Orihime stood up straight, looking at Ichigo with a naive expression. "Ano, what's wrong Kuro..." Her sentence dragged on unfinished as she took noticed as well. "Eeep," She silently mumbled as she yanked her hand away. She could feel a rush of heat pool around in the center of her cheeks. "Gomenasai!" She held her hands in front of her, eyes squeezed shut and head tilted downward, apologetically.

Ichigo looked at her for a long moment then randomly bursts into a small laugh.

Orihime looked up at him, confused. "N-nani?"

Ichigo managed to stop laughing. "It's nothing." He started. "Just, I think it's funny that you've grown up but still act like cute ole Orihime." He laughter picked back up but wasn't as heavy as before.

Orihime pouted cutely. "Are you making fun of me?"

Ichigo waved his hands in front of him defensively. "No, no, not at all. It's just..." He took the time to actually look at her, face to face. Her hair was blowing in the wind, long lashes curled out complimented her huge eyes, and her fragrance was sweet. Ichigo had to bring himself back to reality before he had gotten completely lost in her. "I'm glad you're here." He smiled.

Orihime's plump lips curved into a smile as well. "Me too."

...

...

School had finally let out and Ichigo and his friends made their way outside. It didn't take long before a certain someone came running towards the kurosaki like an ape escaping the zoo.

"ICHIIIIIGOOO!" He took a high leap into the hair, arms spread out, practically flying towards the orange-haired boy.

Without any hesitation, Ichigo smashed his fist directly into the boy's face, causing the poor male to fall to the ground, groaning in pain.

Orihime covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my." She said in shock.

Rukia placed a hand on Orihime's shoulder for comfort. "Don't worry, this happens all the time." She assured. "Asano's fine." Rukia nodded.

"I think Kurosaki finally broke his nose." Renji added.

Chad nodded in agreement. "Mhmm."

Uryuu only mumbled. "What childish behavior."

Asano managed to get back on his feet, clutching onto his injured nose. "Why do you always do that Ichigo!" The boy cried with tears streaming down his bruised face.

Another male student walked over to the scene. He had blue shoulder length hair and was occupied by his cell phone. "If you know he's always going to do it, why do you fall for it every time, Asano?" His eyes never left the screen of his mobile.

"B-but Mizuiro..." He cried.

Completely ignoring his friend, Mizuiro eyes wandered over to Orihime. He couldn't help but smile while taking in her appearance. "You must be Inoue Orihime." He started warmly.

Orihime was silent for a moment as she realized that Mizuiro was trying to introduce himself. "H-hai." She nodded. As always she was shy when it came to meeting new people, but she figured he was a friend of Ichigo so he must be a nice person. "a-and you are?"

Mizuiro reached his hand out. "Kojima Mizuiro." He introduced himself as Orihime took his hand to shake. "I'm afraid the rumors don't do you any justice Inoue-san. You are far more beautiful than people proclaim you to be." He spoke in a friendly manner.

A blush came across Orihime's face. "A-arigato Kojima-san."

Once the two let go of the handshake, Asano jumped into Orihime face. "And I'm Asano Keigo!" He shouted loudly. "But you can call me Keigo, since we're gonna be pretty close friends." His smile grew from one side of his face to the other. "I hope you don't mind me saying this but, Inoue, you have the biggest set of jugs I've ever seen!..."

Orihime face grew as red as a tomato as she quickly wrapped her arms around her chest.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to respond with a balled fist to the top of the boy's head almost knocking him unconscious

"Oww Ichigo!" Keigo screamed as he tended to the large lump the hand grown over the spot Ichigo had thumped him.

Mizuiro looked back down at his phone. "You really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut, Asano"

Both Renji and Rukia found the situation funny and couldn't stop laughing.

Chad was silent as always.

Ishida only shook his head. "Like I said before, childish."

...

...

Ichigo opened the front door of his house, only to be met face-to-face with his dear mother. Her dark blond hair fell down past her waist, and she wore a plane purple blouse with a pair of blue jeans. Masaki never looked her age, if anyone had to guess they would think she was Ichigo's older sister, no where near his mother.

"You saw Orihime-chan today right?" Her peach lips were curled up into a smile and her eyes filled with delight. "Weren't you surprised? Isn't she beautiful!" Masaki rambled

"So you're behind this" Ichigo should have known that his mother had something to do with Orihime's appearance today.

Masaki nodded "Caught red handed." She giggled. "Once I got the news from Sora that him and Orihime would be moving back into town, I knew I had to surprise you. So I called your school and arranged that Orihime-chan be placed in your class." She explained with glee.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile at his mother. "Well, I was surprised." He reached down and gave his mother a hug. "Thanks."

Misaki hugged her son back. "You're welcome Ichigo." She let go and looked up at him. "You should go get dressed. We're having them over for dinner tonight."

Ichigo only nodded and made his way up stairs.

...

...

The house phone rang throughout the Kurosaki home. Misaki; who was already in the kitchen, answered the phone while cooking dinner .

Ichigo took a seat at the table and watched as she cooked. He was there just in case she needed help with anything thing.

"Kurosaki residents." Misaki addressed into the phone.

"Konichiwa, Misaki-san."

Recognizing the voice, Misaki smiled. "Orihime, Hi!"

Ichigo's head perked up at the mention of Orihime.

"I was calling to let you know, Sora is going to be staying a few extra hours at work tonight."

Misaki placed the spatula on the counter, giving Orihime all her attention. "Will you guys still be able to make it tonight?" She was a bit worried since she was very excited to have them over for dinner.

"We will. I'll be walking over soon, Sora will be a little late is all." She explained chipperly

Masaki placed her hands on her hips. "A pretty girl such as yourself shouldn't be walking around alone." She spoke in her_motherly_ tone

"Oh no, it's fine." Orihime assured. "I'll be alright."

Masaki shook head head in disagreement. "I can't risk something bad happening to you." She looked over at her son. "I'll send Ichigo and you guys can walk over together." She gave Ichigo a thumbs up, seeing if it was alright with him.

Ichigo nodded. Of course he didn't mind walking Orihime. There are a lot of crazy people in the word these days and he would hate it if something bad happened to her alone the way.

"I-I don't want to burden, Kurosaki-kun..."

Masaki cut her off. "Nonsense. Besides, he's on his way now." Her eyes watched his her orange haired son made his way out the door.

"A-alright." She had no other choice but to agree.

...

...

Ichigo's mother had texted him the address. Orihime didn't live far, just a ten minute walk from his house to her's, which he didn't mind. He remembered her living a lot farther when she was younger, so this was actually an improvement.

He finally reached the street of her apartment complex and made his way up the black metal stairs. Looking down at his cell to see which door number was her's. "23." He said to himself as he walked down the outside hallway. His pace came to a stop and he was now standing in front of Orihime's apartment.

His balled hand reached out and knocked the proper four times. He made sure he was quiet to hear any kind of response.

"Coming!" She shouted from the other side of the door. A short moment later the metal door opened and an auburn head slowly sticking out. "Oh, Kurosaki-kun it's you." She smiled.

"Well duh it's me, didn't you look through your peephole?"

Orihime was silent for a moment. "A-ano, I forgot..." She muttered

"Orihime you can't forget to do something important like that." He scowled her. "What if I was some psycho?" The very thought of Orihime letting in a manica disturbed him greatly. She would probably try to serve him tea knowing how naive she is.

Orihime's eyes saddened. "Gomenasai." Her tone was low and very apologetic.

Ichigo could never take seeing Orihime upset or sad, but she should have knew better than to open the door without checking who it was first. He took in a breath. "It's alright..." He paused as a strange smell filled his nostrils."Is something burning?" He looked passed Orihime and saw the smoke in the air. Without thinking he ran past her and into the apartment heading straight into the kitchen. He was afraid something was on fire.

Orihime ran behind "Kurosaki-kun wait, It's just..."

Ichigo sweat dropped as he realized what caused the smoke. He was looking at a pan of brownies. Smoke arising from the burnt desert.

An embarrassed blush fell across Orihime's face. "I was going to bring them over for dessert but I kept them in for too long..." She felt bad that she made Ichigo worry. "Gomenasai."

Ichigo turned to face her. Not only did he have to worry about her opening the door for stranger but he also had to worry about her burning her apartment down. He was about to scold her once more until he spotted a pink swollen area on her left hand. "Orihime, what happened?" He nearly shouted as he grabbed her arm to examine the injury.

"When I pulled out the brownies I kinda burnt myself..." Now she felt even worse. There, another reason Ichigo would get mad at her. Why wasn't she doing anything right?

Ichigo knew the burn would get worse, especially since she hadn't done anything to treat it. "Where are you're clean washcloths?"

Orihime simply pointed to a box that was on the counter that read 'Kitchen Towels.' He made his way over to it and pulled out a white cloth and ran cold water over it. "This might hurt a bit." He looked her in the eyes as he placed the cool cloth over her injured hand.

Orihime couldn't help but flinch from the pain.

Ichigo saw that she was biting back a tear, which only made him feel worse. The thought of causing Orihime pain was unbearable. The only thing keeping him in place was the idea that this would only help her. "I'm sorry, but this will cause the swelling to go down."

She was trying her best to hold back tears. "A-arigato, Kurosaki-kun."

He only nodded. "Do you have any band-aids?" He asked softly.

"Un, onii-san just unpacked those. There in the bathroom closet." She told him.

"Alright." Ichigo ran the cloth under cold water again then placed it back on Orihime's hand. "Hold this in place. I'll go get the band-aids."

"Okay." She said in a small voice.

Ichigo rounded the corner and down the narrow hallway until he came across a room he hoped was the bathroom. He opened the door and flicked on the light. Yup, he was in the bathroom. He opened the closet and spotted the band-aid box. He quickly grabbed it and made his way back into the kitchen. "I found them..." He saw that Orihime had taken the cloth off her hand.

"Gomin Kurosaki-kun, but it hurts too much." Her grey eyes were glossed over with a shield of water and her plump lips were a bit quivery.

Ichigo's only response was opening the box and unwrapping a large square band-aid. "Give me your hand." He said.

She did as she was told and placed her hand in his.

Ichigo carefully placed the band-aid over the burn, trying his best not to press down on the injury to hard. "There, that should shield it. If you hit your hand on something it won't hurt as much." He explained.

"Nee, it feels better already." Orihime smiled.

"See I knew the cold rag would help..." He looked down and saw that he was still holding Orihime's hand. He could feel his heart skip and his breathing became slow. Her hand was so soft and deleget, just as he remembered.

Orihime also noticed their hand holding and was afraid to move. She could feel the warmth grow in her cheeks as her heart thumped around in her chest. She liked the feeling of her hand in his, it was like they fit perfectly together, like a puzzle piece.

Ichigo coughed awkwardly. "Alright." He pulled his hand away. "We should get going... I don't want my mom to worry." He had to say something to break the silence.

Orihime scratched the back of her head, trying her best to act normal. "H-hai. I'll wrap the brownies so we can take them with us." She ran over to the cabinet in order to find the foil.

"Auh, Orihime?" He wanted to say it, but in the nicest way possible.

"Nani?" She asked cutely

"The brownies can't come with us."

Orihime's shoulders drooped down and her face saddened a bit. "Awe man." she muttered softly.

...

...

As the two left the apartment, they had no idea that they were being watch from the apartment complex across the street.

"Oi Aizen-sama, that new piece of ass that moved in across the street knows Ichigo. Do we still go about with the plan?" The teal-haired male couldn't help but lick his lips hungrily as he gawked at the girl through the window.

The older looking male by the name of Aizen did nothing but sit in his signature chair browsing through an old magazine. "Of course, Grimmjow. This only makes our situation better for us." He smiled. "We'll be able to get what we want from both Sora and Ichigo." He turned the page in his magazine.

"Alright then." Grimmjow smirked. "I can't wait to get my hands on that fine piece of ass, Orihime."

...

...

**Chapter ****two ****complete****, ****woop ****woop****! ****Oh ****gosh ****Grimmie ****has ****such ****a ****potty ****mouth****, ****but ****thats ****why ****I ****love ****him ****and ****looks ****like ****he ****has ****a ****thing ****for ****Hime ****TEEHEE ****I****'****m ****such ****a ****devil**** :3 **

**I ****know ****the ****characters ****are ****a ****little ****OOC ****but ****please ****bare ****with ****me****. ****I ****feel ****thats ****what ****gives ****my ****story ****originality****. **

**Sorry ****for ****the ****late ****update****, ****I****'****ve ****been ****busy ****with ****final ****exams ****and ****end ****of ****the ****year ****fees ****but ****all ****that ****is ****over ****with ****because ****now ****I****'****m ****officially ****on ****SUMMER ****VACATION****! ****SENIOR ****YEAR ****HERE ****I ****COME****! **

**Anyways****, ****a ****big ****thanks ****to **_**animelover**__**4**__**everandever **_**for ****getting ****on ****my ****case ****about ****not ****updating ****on ****time****. ****If ****it ****wasn****'****t ****for ****her ****I ****wouldn****'****t ****have ****updated ****today****.**

**Hope ****you ****guys ****liked ****this ****chapter****. ****See ****ya ****later****! **


	3. Chapter 3

Rae does not own bleach _. Though if I did, Orihime would be poppin out Ichigo's babies by now. Teehee :3

Happy reading!

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...

...

Ichigo and Orihime stepped inside the house, where the delicious smell of steak and potatoes flooded their nostrils, causing the two to take a moment to breath in the wonderful aroma of Misaki's cooking. Orihime had to remember to keep her mouth closed or else a trail of drool would have slipped past her lips.

"Orihime, my dear!" Masaki emerged from the kitchen and practically ran to the girl. "It's so nice to see you after all these years." She spoke warmly as she pulled her into an embrace.

Orihime wrapped her arms around Masaki. "You as well, Masaki-san." She couldn't help but breathe in the mother's natural fragrance; which brought back lots of pleasant memories.

She remember when she was younger, Masaki would tend to her scarred knees and scraped elbows and hold her tightly until her tears stopped. Once in that tight embraced of Masaki, Orihime would close her eyes and breath in her lovely bouquet, and she knew she was safe.

They pulled away, allowing Masak to take in Orihime's appearance. She had sprouted up greatly over the past six years. She was no longer the little girl Masaki once knew, she was woman. A beautiful young women. "Orihime," She gave the girl a warm smile. "You are absolutely ravishing."

Orihime felt a blush creep across her cheeks. "Arigato, Misaki-san." It really meant something to her when a gorgeous woman like Masaki called her _ravishing_. "You're ravishing as well." Though 'ravishing' was not a big enough word to describe Masaki.

Masaki was flattered. "Oh stop it. An old women like be, beautiful?" She laughed.

Orihime's eyes widened in shock. How could Masaki not know how attractive she was? Sure she was older and a mother of three, but she had a face of an angel and a shape of a model . She remembered how Ishin would announce to the world how lucky he was to have married a godiuse such as Masaki. " No Masaki-san, you really are!" Orihime tried to convince her.

Ichigo placed a reassuring hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Don't worry Orihime, she knows how attractive she is. She just likes to pretend she's not." He whispered to her.

Masaki coughed, pretending not to have heard what her son just said. "Well, dinner is almost ready." She changed the subject. "Why don't you two go wait up stairs." She suggested. "Your father and the girls went out to pick up a few things" She added.

Ichigo noted that since his father and the twins were out, him and Orihime would be upstairs by themselves. Giving him some time to finally catch up with his childhood friend. "Alright."Ichigo said as he led his way up the stairs.

Orihime noticed how different Ichigo's room looked. When she was younger she remembered him having such a huge room, but now it felt as if it had gotten smaller and more mature. Where his toy box use to sit a computer desk took it's place, the floor was no longer carpet but hard wood and the huge posters he had of _Hot__Wheels_ cars all over the walls were gone.

"It looks different, doesn't it" Ichigo took the seat at his desk.

Orihime continued to let her eyes wandered around the room. "Un, it does." With on other seats available, she figured it was alright if she sat on Ichigo's bed. A memory of the two jumping on the bed until their heads touched the ceiling, came back to her. She smiled.

Ichigo couldn't help but watch as Orihime made herself comfortable on his bed. He felt a wave of heat pool in the middle of his cheeks. A beautiful girl was sitting on _his_bed, where he slept and dreamed about stunning girls like her.

He would slowly lay her down and pull her as close to him as possible. Spoon her, allowing their bodies to fit together like a puzzle piece. He would rest his chin in the spot between her neck and shoulder and fall asleep breathing in her intoxicating scent...

"K-Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?"

He quickly blinked away the fantasy and was brought back to reality. "Auh..." He swallowed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah I'm fine." He looked at anything in the room but her. He had a feeling of guilt for thinking about an innocent girl like Orihime in such an impure way. "So, how was life in Okinawa?" He had to break the silence.

A smile appeared across Orihime's face. "It's so beautiful there, Kurosaki-kun!" Her grey eyes started to glisin. "I made lots of friends there, all from different countries since Okinawa has a military base." She explained. "Oh, and my friend Drew-kun taught me how to speak english." She added happily.

Ichigo never really pay attention in English class but he was pretty sure that_Drew_ was a boy's name, and this boy was close enough to Orihime to teach her English? "R-really, thats cool." He was trying his best not to sound jealous. "Did you have any girls as friends?" Ichigo mentally slapped himself on the forehead for asking that question.

Orihime being the naive girl she is, didn't think to wonder why Ichigo would ask a question like that. "Ano..." She placed her finger on her lips as she thought. "Nope, I didn't make any girl friends, just guys." She explained so innocently.

Ichigo's eye twitched. "I see..." With a group of guys as friends, anything could have happened to Orihime when she lived in Okinawa. She was beyond gorgeous and there was no doubt that guys were throwing themselves at her, and guys now a days only want one thing... What if Orihime slept with one of them? Was it Drew? He had heard a lot of things about American guys and one of them was that they were very skilled in getting girls into bed. Was his childhood friend deflowered?

Orihime looked at Ichigo with concern. He had grown awkwardly quiet and incredibly stiff. "Kurosaki-kun...?"

"Orihime." He spoke out of nowhere. "C-can I ask you something?" He knew it was out of his place to ask such a question but he needed to know. As her childhood friend he had the right to know, right?

Orihime simply nodded, unaware of his thoughts. "Un, you can ask me anything Kurosaki-kun." She had her hands folded in her lap, sitting up properly. Poor girl didn't know what was going on in Ichigo's mind.

"Well, are you..." He had built up the courage to ask but didn't know how to ask without sounding demanding or impolite. _Are __you __sexually __active__? __Are __you __experienced __in __bed__? __Have __you __ever __done _**it **_before__? _He tried to think of the most civil way in asking. "Are you a virg..."

The bedroom door flung open with a crashing _thud_. A man with dark tresses, stubbly hairs around her jawline, and a colorful hawaiian shirt, practically jumped in the room. "ORIHIME!" He shouted without any care of disturbing the neighbors.

Orihime stood up to greet Ichigo's father. "Konichiwa Kurosaki-san." She bowed in respect.

Ishin laughed. "No need to be so formal." He spread his arms out. "Come here!"

Orihime allowed Ishin to pull her into a tight hug. "Kurosaki-san I can't breath." She giggled.

Ishin let her go and scratched the nap of his neck , embarrassed. "Oh sorry. I'm just so excited to see you Orihime." He explained. "You've grown up to become a fine young lady. It feels like just yesterday you and Ichigo were taking baths together." His eyes started to water just from the thought.

Orihime felt a light blush grow across her face. "W-we did?"

Ichigo grew frustrated. "We never took baths together, dad!" He shouted at his father.

"What's with all the commotion?" Karin asked as she walked in to see what was going on. She then met eyes with a girl with long auburn hair and huge gray eyes. "I've never seen you before?" She simply said.

Yuzu came in after. "Mom said dinner is almost ready..." Her words dragged off once she took a look at the women standing in the middle of her brother's room. "Woah, you're pretty." Yuzu said in awe.

Orihime could not believe her eyes, it was Yuzu and Karin. The two twins were no longer adorable babies, they had grown into cute young girls. "Yuzu, Karin, you've grown." She smiled warmly.

"Huh?" Yuzu and Karin both looked at eachother, curious.

Karin was the first so speak up. "How do you know our name's?"

Yuzu tilted her head in curiosity. "Have we met before?" She asked cutely.

Orihime giggled. "Yes, we have. I use to play with the two of you when you were babies." She explained with a loving tone.

"Oh," Kairn simply said. "Well, nice seeing you again." Karin bowed.

Yuzu giggled. I don't remember you at all but," She also bowed. "Nice seeing you again."

Orihime waved her hands in front of her face with a blush. "No need to be so formal." She rambled.

"Orihime's right!" Ishin pulled both his girls in his arms. "We're all family, so no need to be formal!" He spoke in an excited giggly tone. "Before we know it, Ichigo and Orihime are going to be married, then she'll really be apart of our family!" He shouted.

Orihime's face grew as red as a tomato.

Ichigo was also shocked at his father's comment. There was no way a girl like Inoue would possibly marry him , out of all people. He had no job, no future plans, no anything. Orihime on the other hand, seemed to have everything figured out..., but being married to her would be pretty... Ichigo had to shake the thought. "Dad, stop saying crazy things like that!" Ichigo's face also held a slight blush.

"With an attitude like that, you don't deserve to be married to someone like Orihime!" Ishin shouted to his son.

"Well, you're the one who brought it up in the first place!" Ichigo shouted back.

Ishin and Ichigo were now face to face. "Yeah, well now I take it back, ya ghost seeing punk!"

Ichigo had grown past the point of frustration. For some reason beyond his knowledge, him and his father would always get into petty arguments over the littlest of things. This time Ishin was bringing something personal into the fight and Ichigo wasn't having it. "One time, I claim to have seen a ghost one time, and you never let me live it down!" He shouted back.

"It was more than one time! What about that time you said you saw the same ghost float into your bedroom at night, HUH?" Ishin inched closer to his son.

The two were so caught up in the argument that they didn't even see Masaki walk into the room. "You guys." She said softly, hoping to get their attention.

Unaware of his mother's entrance Ichigo continued on "I was nine!" He hollered.

"Thats no excuse for making up stories like that!" Ishin was also unaware of his wife's entrance into the room. "Everytime I turned around here'd you come, talking about all these _ghost_ you saw!"

Masaki cleared her throat. "Can I have your attention please?" She spoke just a little louder.

"I wasn't the only one who saw the ghost, Orihime saw it too." He then looked over at his childhood friend for backup. "Right Orihime." He was hoping she would be proof enough for his father.

Orihime flinch as Ichigo was trying to get the confession out of her. She looked down at the flood and pushed both her index fingers together. "Please don't bring me into this Kurosaki-kun." She muttered shyly.

"See, look what you've done!" Ishin pointed at Orihime. "You tried to drag poor Orihime down in one of your twisted lies!"

A vein popped on the side of Misaki's head. "I'm trying to speak here..." Her small feminine voice was growing stronger.

"It's not a lie, it really happened!"

Ishin laughed sarcastically. "So is the ghost responsible for you not doing your chores this week?"

Ichigo took in a quick breath. "Dad, you're being childish!"

Ishin pointed to himself innocently. "Me being childish, you're the one who claims he can see ghost!"

"Erg, that was six years ago, old man!"

As the arguing seemed to drag on endlessly, Misaki was growing highly impatient. She thought that maybe after a few minutes of their bickering they would finally notice her there, but no... they continued to fight, causing Misaki to reach her breaking point. "OUR GUEST IS WAITING IN THE LIVINGROOM!" She hollered louder than their arguing.

Both Ichigo and Isshin halted mid-sentence. Misaki wasn't the type to scream at the top of her lungs demanding something, but anytime she did, it meant trouble for the two males. They looked back at her wided eyed, like scared puppies.

Misaki took a short moment to catch her breath and put on her signature smile. "Like I was saying, our guest has arrived." She turned and looked over at Orihime. "Your brother is here." She told her with a graceful approach.

Orihime was still shocked that Misaki had yelled that loudly. What shocked her even more was her ability to bring herself back to her normal state so quickly. "A-alright."

...

...

As the family made their way down to the livingroom, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder what Sora looked like after all these years. Years ago, Ichigo never really noticed how young Sora was. He always acted so mature and was more like a father to Orihime then a brother. Ichigo also remembered the times Sora would drop Orihime off before work. At that age, Ichigo didn't understand why Orihime couldn't stay home with her own parents. He was to young to realize the horrific situation his friend was in.

"Onii-san!" Orihime ran over to her brother and gave me a quick hug.

Sora laughed warmly. "How was your first day of school?" He asked her.

"It was fine." She said simply. "I'm in the same class as Kurosaki-kun." She added with a smile.

"Yeah, Misaki told me you two would be in the same class." He then looked over at the orange haired male. He almost couldn't believe how much the Kurosaki had grown. "Ichigo, you're as tall as me." He spoke in a friendly tone.

"I wasn't going to stay small forever." Ichigo walked over and held out his hand for a proper shake. Orihime wasn't the only one who changed over the years. Ichigo remembered Sora having shoulder length hair, now it was cut short and parted down the side, slicked back with gel. He wore a skinny black suit with a white button up and black tie. Ichigo noted how professional Sora look and figured he had got himself an important job. "It's nice seeing you, Inoue-san."

Sora reached and shook Ichigo's hand. "Please, call me, Sora." He was only twenty-four after all.

"Alright, Sora." They released the handshake.

"It's so nice to see you again, Sora." Misaki pulled the boy into an embrace. "I'm so proud of you, dear." She spoke warmly.

"Atigato, Misaki-san."

Ishin joined his wife by Sora's side. "You've grown up to be a fine man, Sora." He gave the young Inoue a manly slap on the back.

"And a man keeps his word." Sora dug into his back pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. "As promised, the money I borrowed from you when I was eighteen." He held out the envelope awaiting for Ishin to take it.

Misaki waved her hands in front of her face. "Oh no, we couldn't possibly take that."

Ishin looked down at his wife. "Misaki, Sora is a man now. A damn fine businessman, and businessmen always repay what that owe. If we didn't let him repay us, he'll feel as if we don't recognize him as the man he's tried so hard to become." He then looked back at Sora. "Isn't that right, _Inoue__-__san_."

Sora noted that Ishin spoke his name formally, as an equal. "Yes." He nodded strongly. "Here is the money I've borrowed from you long ago, _Kurosaki__-__san_."

Ishin nodded and placed the folded envelope in his back pocket. "Arigato." The two bowed, closing the deal. Once Ishin brought his head back up he clapped his hands together and his toothy smile returned to his face. "Alright, lets eat!"

...

...

The dinner went by smoothly. Sora announced that the apartment they were staying at was only temporary. Orihime also announced that she had applied for a job at the bakery and had an interview at the end of the week. Of course Sora protested to it but Orihime explained she wanted to do her part and help out as much as she could.

Once everyone's stomachs were full and the night had growing late. The Inoue's had to say their goodbyes and how grateful they were for having the chance to eat Misaki's home cooking once again.

The Kurosaki family didn't want them to leave (Mostly Misaki) but Sora had to get to work early in the morning and Orihime had school. They walked them outside and watched as they made it to the care safely.

"It was nice having you!" Karin yelled.

"Yes, please come again!" Yuzu hollored.

"I can cook for you anytime!" Misaki added.

"Don't forget family game night!" yelled Ishin

Sora and Orihime waved their last goodbye as they climbed into the silver four door. "We won't!" They chorused.

For some reason Ichigo felt the need to also say something to them. "Orihime," He yelled just loud enough for her to hear and waited to she looked back at him, with that same curious expression. "I'll walk you to school tomorrow!" He told her.

Orihime smiled. "K, see you tomorrow morning!" She then slipped into the car.

The Inoue family had driven off.

...

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Sora spoke to his sister as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Un," Orihime felt a blush creep across her face. "It was nice getting to see everyone again." She started playing with her fingers in her lap.

Sora took a quick glance at his sister and smiled. "What's that face for?" He teased.

"W-what face?" She stuttered.

Sora laughed. "That face you're making right now. Your, 'thinking about someone special' face." There was a short moment of silence. "Are you thinking about, Ichigo?"

Orihime couldn't help but _eep_at her brother's guess. "H-how did you know?" She asked shyly.

Sora continued to keep his eyes on the road. "I see the way you act around him, it's clear as day." Sora stopped at a red light and looked over at his sister. "You've had a crush on him since you were eight." He explained. "And the way you cried the day we moved wasn't because you were gonna miss just anyone..." The light turned green and they proceeded.

Orihime didn't have the guts to look at her brother. She was too embarrassed. "If I had known you knew, I would have told you sooner." She spoke softly.

Sora rounded a corner and shortly they were parking in front of the apartment building. "It's alright. There are things a girl should keep to herself. Besides," He turned the engine off. "I approve of Ichigo." He added. "Unlike that guy back in Okinawa, Drew."

Orihime turned to her brother, curiously. "You don't like Drew, why?"

"Guys like him are only after one thing." He knew that Orihime thought of the guy as a best friend but she needed to know what Drews true intentions were.

She tilted her head in curiosity. "What is he after, onii-san?" She asked quite clueless.

It was days like this Sora was glad his little sister was so naive and innocent. "Nothing." He simply said. "We better get inside, we've gotta get up early tomorrow."

Orihime nodded. "Alright."

...

It was going on ten o'clock and Ichigo had helped his mother with the dishes, taken a shower, finished his homework and laid out his uniform for tomorrow. He was about to turn off his light and go to bed until he heard a knock at his door. "Come in."

Ishin walked in but he wasn't wearing his signature goofy smile. His face was calm and held almost no emotion. "Gettin' ready for bed, kido?"

Ichigo looked at his father oddly, unsure of what he could possible want. It wasn't like Ishin to check up on him before he went to bed. "Yeah..." He said slowly. "Why, what's up?"

Ishin walked over to his son. "Nothing, I just wanted to give you this." He handed his son an envelope. "I feel kind of weird keeping this, so I'm giving it to you." He explained. "Take Orihime out someplace nice or if she needs anything get it for her." He turned and headed for the door, not giving Ichigo the chance to respond. "Night." He shut the door behind him.

Ichigo opened the envelope. He knew that there was money inside but had no clue how much and since he didn't need it for anything he had no other choice to spend it on Orihime. Of course he wouldn't tell her where he got the money from or else she wouldn't accept anything he got for her.

He started to count the money and couldn't believe how much was there. Seven-hundred dollars...

...

**I love the idea of Masaki and Sora being alive, don't you? I try to base Masaki's character off her manga character back when her and Ishin first met. If you're not up to date with the manga then you don't really know what I'm talking about, lol. **

**Also would like to add a tiny spoiler, You'll begin seeing Drew (Orihime's American friend from Okinawa.) in a later chapter, teehee I'm so bad ;)**

**Well enough of me babbling. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you think about it in a review or a PM, because I like making friends :3**

**Sorry for the late update. Can you ever forgive me? ;( **


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, sorry about the very, very late update. I've been staying with my sister a while and her computer sucks balls (I hope I'm allowed to say that) so I wasn't able to update until I got home, gomenasai! I hope this chapter makes up for it. So read and tell me what you think!

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Unable to sleep the entire night, Ichigo watched as his digital clock changed from six fifty nine to seven AM, swiftly clicking off the alarm before it's chance of ringing. He could blame his sleepless night on plenty of things, the summer heat, up coming exams, insomnia, but the true reason why his chocolate orbs couldn't catch a single wink was because of a certain auburn-haired beauty running through his mind.

He figured, yesterday had to have been a dream. There was no way his childhood friend had come back to Karakura and became the goddess like creature she was. He had almost given up all hope of seeing her again, but there she was, back in his life as if nothing had changed between them. She was still the girl he would protect from bugs, bullies, anything that could cause harm to her. "Orihime..." He whispered while blankly looking up at the ceiling.

...

It didn't take long for the Kurosaki to get dressed. He quickly went through his morning routine, which consisted of; brushing his teeth, washing his face, taming his orange locks, and throwing on his uniform, all in record time. He grabbed his school bag and made his way down the stairs.

Once Ichigo made it to the front door, his mother stepped from of the kitchen. Like every morning, Masaki's hair was placed up in a sloppy bun, apron around her waist with some type of cooking utensil in her hand. "Good Morning Ichigo," She started with a smile. "You're not going to eat breakfast before you leave?" Masaki asked as she watched her son put on his shoes.

"I can't." He bent down and tied the simple knots. "I'm going to walk with Orihime to school and show her around before class starts." He stood up straight and pulled the door open. "Later." He yelled over his shoulder, not giving his mother the opportunity to speak another word.

Masaki pouted cutely. "I wanted him to tell Orihime I said hi." She let out a long sigh. "I guess it can't be helped." Taking note of the time she called up the stairs to her daughters. "Girls, I want you dressed and down for breakfast in five!"

...

Walking Orihime in the mornings meant taking the longer way to school; which Ichigo didn't mind. He figured, it was more time he had to spend with her. Once he rounded the corner to her street he looked up at her unit and saw that she was already making her way down.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime smiled as she ran towards him. "Ohiyo." She added while showing him a warm greeting

Ichigo looked down at her and couldn't help but blush. The corners of her plump lips were curled up into a smile, her hair blew in the wind behind her, and the way her humongous grey eyes shimmered as she looked at him was enough to make his hormones kick into overdrive. He coughed awkwardly, hoping that would push any unclean thoughts away. "Ohiyo, Orihime." He managed to say clearly. "Shall we get going?"

Orihime nodded. "Un, lets"

And the two marched forward

Wanting to break the awkward silence, Ichigo thought of things he could talk about. The weather, sports, celebrities, he couldn't come up with a suitable topic. For a moment he figured he could talk about what he wanted to ask her last night, about her experiences in Okinawa, but shook the idea. "So you wanna work at the bakery?" He asked, finally finding something to say.

Just the thought of being around the smell of warm pastries was enough to bring a smile to Orihime's face. "I do." She had her arms in front of her, holding onto her school bag as she walked. "I really hope the interview goes well and baker-san, likes me." Her voice showed a tint of concern.

Ichigo detected the hint of insecurity in her voice. "I'm sure he'll like you, and you'll get the job." He spoke surly. "He has to be stupid not to like you." He added, keeping his eyes forward.

Orihime looked up at Ichigo with eyes as big as the sun. "You think?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah." He paused for a short moment. "And if you don't get the job, I'm pretty sure my old man wouldn't mind you working around the clinic with him." He added.

"Really," Orihime's face lit up once more. "Arigato, Kurosaki-kun!" She took a small leap in the air.

"Sure." He then paused and scratched the back of his head timidly. "You don't have to call me by my last name, ya know." He tried not to look at her because he knew he would blush. "It only seems fair since I call you by your first." He wondered what her reaction would be.

Orihime was silent for a moment. The guy she was secretly in love with was asking her to call him by his first name. She never knew why she didn't call him by his birth given name. She felt as if she wasn't worthy enough. Like she wasn't close enough to have the privilege to call him by "Ichigo" even though they've been friends for years. "Are you sure it's alright?" She asked slowly.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned to her. "Of course it is." He said almost a little too loudly. "I've know you my whole life, why wouldn't it be?" He looked deep into her eyes that time.

At that moment Orihime could feel a connection. The connection she felt with him so many years ago. "A-alright..." She wanted to say it but it felt weird, and out of place to say. "I-Ichi..." She was slowly getting there. "Ichigo." She finally said.

The moment his name fell from her lips his heart flipped a complete 360. He had know idea he would get this type of reaction just by her saying his name. Sure she was beautiful, which made Ichigo think about her more then he should, but it was more than just her beauty. He had actually grown feelings for her, romantic feelings. Or maybe he was overthinking it?

"Ichigo, are you alright?" She looked up at him innocently.

There it was again, that 360 flip. So he wasn't over thinking it, he actually had feeling for her, his best friend since childhood. He swallowed the lump that grew in his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine." He tried not to stutter. "We should get going again."

"Alright."

It didn't take the to long to get to school. Once they entered the school yard full of student a certain brown haired boy sprinted his way towards the Kurosaki full blast.

"Ichigo!" He leaped into the air as he shouted.

Ichigo's only reaction was a left step out of the way, causing Keigo to plant his face right into the ground. Keigo sat, face first, in the ground for a moment before jumping back to his feet. "What was that for Ichigo?" He asked sadly as he massaged his forehead.

Ichigo didn't even bother to look back at him. "You know exactly what it's for." He spoke bluntly.

Keigo felt tears start to stream from his eyes. "That hurts, that hurts a lot Ichigo." He cried as he turned towards Orihime. "Inoue-san, how can a beautiful madin such as yourself be around someone as violent and destructive as Ichigo!" He grabbed hold of her hands looking directly down at her.

Orihime looked up at Keigo cluelessly. "A-ano...?"

"Come away with me. We can be king's and queen's of our own land and live happily ever after!" He shouted.

Without warning, Tasuki can behind the rambling male and slammed her fist on top of his head. "Stop being a damned creep!" She shouted as Keigo fall backwards. She then smiled at Orihime. "Sorry about that. As you can see Keigo is a handful." She laughed. "I'm Arisawa Tatsuki. You probably don't remember but I saw you around a lot when we were kids." She explained.

Orihime nodded. "Yes I do. You were the one that beat up Kurosaki-kun at all his Karate matches." She forgot she was suppose to use Ichigo's first name. That was going to take some getting use to.

Ichigo flinched at the mention of Tatsuki beating him up as a child. Those were the kind of memories he wish he could forget. He knew back then he wasn't much of a fighter, more like a cry baby; which was the main reason why he wanted to repress those memories that badly. "She didn't beat me up!" He shouted in his defence.

A smirk grew across Tatsuki's face. "Oh yeah, then what do you call 'me kicking your butt' then?" She teased.

"You were in Karate way longer then I was. I didn't know what I was doing!" He yelled.

"_**I didn't know what I was doing**_." Tatsuki mocked. "How about we settle this right now." She balled up her fist with a crack of her knuckles.

"Tsk" Ichigo sucked in his teeth. "Like I'm going to fight a girl."

"Then how bout fightin' me?" A male with blue hair, styled up, and turquoise colored eyes, walked into the schoolyard. He was clearly breaking the uniform code, his white collared shirt wasn't tucked in and the first three buttons were undone, showing off the top of his hairless chest.

Ichigo's eyebrows pushed together. "Grimmjow." He muttered his name in pure discussed.

"So this is the new piece of ass everyone's been jabben about." He was now standing behind Orihime and draped his muscular arm around her shoulders. "You're fine as hell, you know that, princess?"

Orihime felt a terrifying shiver move down her spine. The arm he had resting on her shoulders felt heavy on her and the expression Ichigo and Tatsuki were shooting towards him wasn't a good one. It didn't take long for her to figure that this _Grimmjow_ guy wasn't a friend.

Ichigo's fist curled up into a ball from anger. How dare he lay a finger on Orihime. She had nothing to do with the endless drama they had going on, why did he have to drag her into something she had no part of. "Get your hands off her." Ichigo spoke through his teeth.

A crowd of students quickly formed around the teen's, ready to see a fight.

A smirk grew across Grimmjow's face as he got the reaction he wanted from Ichigo. "Make me." He taunted as he moved his hand down Orihime's back and onto her curvy waist, pulling her closer.

That was it, Grimmjow had ripped Ichigo's last straw. If trying to fight on school grounds wasn't enough, he was harassing Orihime right in front of him! Ichigo didn't care if he would get suspended, he was going to make him pay.

Without another moment to think Ichigo was a second away from lunging forward full speed with his fingers tightly clinched together in a ball, until...

"Grimmjow stop." A tall male simply commanded as she walk through the crowd. He had short raven colored hair, skin as pale as snow a set of emerald green eyes. "Let the girl go." As drastic as the situation had gone, his voice was calm.

"Tsk, whatever. Azian-sama told me to..."

He didn't even let him finish his sentence. "Aizen-sama knows that we can not associate our gang related activities on school grounds." He simply said with no change in tone.

Grimmjow was silent for a moment. "Tsk, fuck you Ulquiorra, ya fuckin' party shitter!" He removed his arm from Orihime and took a few steps forward until he was face to face with the Kurosaki. "Next time you won't be gettin' off so easy. We got plans for you." Without giving Ichigo the chance to speak he walked on.

Once Grimmjow had cleared the area Ichigo made his way to Orihime followed by Tatsuki and Keigo. "Orihime, are you alright." Ichigo didn't notice that he had grabbed her shoulders as he looked down at her with concern.

. As Ichigo pummeled her with concern she couldn't help but stare at the male with the unique set of green eyes; who happened to be staring back at her. Why did he look so familiar? She hadn't been in town long so, how could she possibly...

"Orihime!" Ichigo, Tatsuki and Keigo all shouted at once.

Orihime blinked back to reality and looked up at her friends. They were all worried about her.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked in a demanding voice, as he hands remained on her shoulders.

"I-I know him." She didn't know of any other way to say it.

Tatsuki wore a confused expression. "Know, who?"

"Who are you talking about?" Keigo added?

Orihime quickly looked back were the green eyed student was standing but he was gone. She looked up at Ichigo and studied his face. He was worried, angry, and confused all at once. "I know him," She paused. "Ulquiorra."

...

...

Looks like Orihime and Ulquiorra have a past no one knows about, teehee :3

Yupp I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger, please don't hate me for it. I figured since the next part of the story would be a flashback, why not give it's own chapter.

Hope you enjoyed!


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